The bane of his life
by black4minister
Summary: Jeff loves his boys dearly, but sometimes they're just the bane of his life.
1. Fathers

Okay, I'm thinking of making this a collection of short stories about the boys getting up to mischief. I'll post the ages of the boys at the beginning of the stories.

Scott-23

John-21

Virgil-19

Gordon-16

Alan-15

Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.

Scott let himself into the house. He had been taking advantage of his weekend pass and had been out with his friends. Closing the door, he turned around, only to be confronted by three of his younger brothers crouching beside the living room door. From the other side of the door he could hear his father's voice. He sighed and walked over to his highly amused brothers.

"Alright" he put his hands on his hips, "What's going on?"

Three instantly innocent faces looked up at him. Seeing Scott's smiling face, however, innocent faces turned to wicked grins. Gordon explained, "Dad answered the door an hour ago to find Alan being held up by his collar. He'd been caught down by the old barn"

"What!" Scott knew what the old barn meant: make out central. That meant Alan had been dragged home by a father, "Alan's just 15. What's he at getting hauled back here? Who was the girl, anyway?"

This time it was Virgil who answered, "Amy Martin" he laughed.

Scott sat down beside his brothers, trying to remember who she was. Then he did a double take. "Amy Martin? But isn't she-"

"Seventeen,Alan" came his father's voice, "She's 17 and you are only 15. What were you playing at?"

The boys laughed at the look on Scott's face. "Seems our little brother got one up on us there" chuckled John, "Two years older then him, and he's only 15 to boot"

"But that's not all" Gordon smirked at the puzzled look on his older brothers' faces, "Don't you remember who Amy is? She's-"

"The Sheriff's daughter, Alan" their father's voice once more cut them off, "His only daughter, I might add. You deserved to be dragged back here by the ear"

Virgil almost burst out laughing, catching himself just in time. John and Scott were exchanging incredulous looks. _ The Sheriff's daughter._ That was a new one. No wonder their dad was so mad.

The boys were so busy digesting this piece of information, they failed to hear the approaching footsteps. They did, however, see the door open.

Jeff was about to step into the hall when he noticed the obstruction. Four instantly innocent faces turned up to him from their position on the floor. Jeff ran a hand through his hair. His boys would be the death of him, he was sure of it.

"Boys, get away from this door. You're too old to be listening at key holes, especially you three" he looked at his three eldest, "Alan" he spoke to the son who was standing behind him, "I will decide on your punishment tomorrow. For now just go to your room"

Jeff watched as his youngest headed up the stairs, closely followed by his older brothers. He still couldn't believe his baby had been dragged home by the ear. It had happened before, of course. Jeff had long resined himself to the fact that raising five teenage boys was not going to put him on good terms with the local fathers.

But fifteen? Scott had been eighteen when Jeff had first got that knock on his door. Even Gordon was sixteen. And the Sheriff's daughter? That was certainly the topper on all the other boys escapades. That was what the idea too, Jeff knew that. Alan was the baby of the family. His brothers tended to dismiss him so he always had to do one better then them. It was putting Jeff in an early grave.

A sudden burst of laughter made him look up. It was coming from Alan's bedroom. Jeff sighed, once again running his hand through his hair. He knew that he would now have to go upstairs and kick his four eldest out of their brother's room.

Oh, Lucy, he thought, how am I doing this with out you?

A/N: So, what do you guys think? I thought this story ended up a bit dry. I kinda have writer's block. I will try to make the next one better. If anyone has any ideas for stories I'd love to here them.


	2. General Mayhem

A/N: Okay, here's another chapter. Just so you know I won't be updating everyday, or even very regularly, I just don't have the time with school work. I will try and write them as often as possible. There aren't specific ages in this one, but the Tracys are living on the island and working in International Rescue. I would also just like to say that in my stories Scott does get into trouble too. I'm sure he was very good and responsible but he was still a young man, and he was sure to get up to things sometimes.

Disclaimer: Nope

Jeff stood in front of four of his boys. They were lined up, looking apprehensive at his anger. John, who had just called from Thunderbird 5, could barely be seen on the monitor, as he was doubled over in laughter.

Jeff looked over his sons. Scott and Alan were both soaking wet, dripping a mixture of water and flour onto the carpet. Virgil's hair was still a vibrant shade of blue. Gordon, the one who had started it all, was the only one unscathed. A drop of orange paint slid down Jeff's face. How had this started? he thought.

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"GORDON!"

Jeff, who had been snoozing in a lounger by the pool, jerked awake. He opened his eyes just in time to see Gordon streak past him, closely followed by Virgil. There was something different about his middle child...

"Blue hair dye in the shampoo, classic" came a laughing voice from behind Jeff. He turned to see his eldest and youngest emerging from the kitchen. It was Alan who had spoken and he now continued. "Bet you Gordon gets away"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure" said Scott, "Gordon's fast but Virgil's smart. He'll get him in the end"

"Care to put your money where your mouth is"

"Of course. 20 ok with you?"

"Sure thing" Alan shook Scott's hand.

"Boys" Jeff had just recovered from the blue-hair-dye comment, "You know I don't like you gambling. Particularly on your brothers"

"Oh, dad" Scott smiled, "With Alan it's not gambling, it's an investment"

"Hey" Alan grabbed his brother round the shoulders and shoved him towards the pool. Sudden move that it was, Scott had Air Force training and instinctively grabbed Alan on the way down. They both landed, unceremoniously, in the water. The splash they created soaked Jeff's shoes as he stood up from the lounger.

"Boys!" he started. Scott and Alan, however, who were now trying to dunk eachother under the water, didn't seem to hear him. Jeff sighed. This always happened when there was a long gap between rescues. The boys were very active and being cooped up together on a relatively small island for too long always resulted in mayhem. He supposed he should go and make sure Virgil hadn't really killed his brother.

Leaving Alan and Scott wrestling in the pool he headed down towards the beach, the direction Gordon had been going.

He had just reached the edge of the sand when his second youngest knocked him down. Gordon had been running and looking over his shoulder. He now picked himself off the ground and held out a hand to his father.

"Sorry dad, didn't see you"

Jeff took the offered hand and hauled himself up. His son didn't look any worse for wear which meant he had not yet been caught. It also meant he got no sympathy from Jeff.

"Gordon, did you put hair dye in your brothers' shampoo?"

Gordon looked down at his feet. "I may have done something along those lines. Ah, dad, why are your shoes wet?"

"Don't change the subject" Jeff ran a hand through his hair, "What possessed you to do that? It better not have been permanent dye, or you're in big trouble. As it is, I want you to go to my office and wait for me there. I want to talk to you but I need to find Virgil first. Do you know where he is?"

"I saw him down by the cliffs but I wasn't sticking around" Gordon tried to keep his face impassive. What he hadn't told his father was that he had seen Virgil hiding by one of the rocky outcrops, holding a bucket of what looked like paint. Virgil's intentions were clear and Gordon was pretty sure he would mistake his father for Gordon, thus getting Virgil in equal, if not more, trouble than himself. It was a good plan and, best of all, he shouldn't get in any trouble for it.

Jeff walked down the beach. In his head he was planning a punishment for Gordon. Punishment had become more complicated since they had moved to the island. Jeff was very aware that his sons were no longer little boys to be reprimanded. They had grown into men who had chosen to give up the lives they had to help him in his endeavour. However, in many ways they stayed boys, particularly when they were stuck together. And he had to maintain discipline, if only for his own sanity! But then what was he supposed to do. Grounded someone stuck on an island was a waste of time, besides, as a general rule, Jeff refused to ground his twenty-something-year-old sons. Bans from rescues usually had a good effect, but then a big rescue would start and the ban would have to be lifted.

He was just rounding the corner of a rocky outcrop when-SPLASH! Jeff froze as a tidal wave of orange paint rushed over him. Raising a hand to get the paint out of his eyes brought into view his middle child, holding a bucket, with a look of absolute shock on his face.

"Ah...ah...dad...I didn't know it was you, I thought-" Virgil stuttered.

"Virgil Grissom Tracy!" some paint splattered onto the sand as Jeff shook his head to clear his face, "What do you think you are doing? And don't give me that: I thought it was someone else" as Virgil tried to interrupt, "I know full well you thought I was your brother, but that doesn't make it any better" Jeff stopped and took a deep breath. He mustn't forget he had Gordon to give out to aswell, "Right, Virgil, follow me up to my office. I've got your brother there and we can all discuss this together"

Virgil uttered an unhappy "Yes, sir" and walked behind his father up to the house.

As Jeff arrived on the patio he noticed that Scott and Alan had vacated the pool. Well, he thought, at least he didn't have to worry about them...it was then that he started to notice the noise coming from the kitchen. He stepped inside and almost slipped on the unusually wet floor. He then nearly fell over again at the sight in front of him. His youngest and eldest were standing in the middle of the kitchen, which looked like it had been hit by a bomb. There was flour and water everywhere, slowly forming a sticky cover on all the surfaces. The boys themselves were completely covered, rather resembling white mud men. They had yet to notice their father and were continuing to fire fistfuls of flour at eachother. Gordon was standing at the other doorway laughing his head off. Virgil emitted a loud snort but a look from his father silenced him. That was when everyone else noticed Jeff's presence.

Gordon stopped laughing abruptly and swiftly disappeared in the direction of the office. Scott and Alan froze, not daring to laugh at the paint running down their father's face. Jeff had started taking deep breaths to stop himself from murdering everyone of his sons, minus John, who wouldn't, and currently couldn't, be involved. The breathing wasn't helping. It was just giving him time to think, not a good thing.

"Boys" his voice was very low and each of them looked a little more worried, "Go into my office, now!"

The three walked unhappily in front of their father into the office. They joined Gordon and lined up in front of the desk. This wasn't the first time.

Jeff, who had stayed standing aswell, had just opened his mouth when a light started blinking, accompanied by a soft beeping noise. Jeff flicked a switch and said "Go ahead John"

John's face appeared on the screen next to the desk. He was just about to speak when he saw his brothers, lined up, each sporting his new appearance, expect of course Gordon. He also noticed his father's make-over. John didn't manage to get a word out as he immediately started laughing, soon almost disappearing from view.

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Jeff sighed and came back to the present. He now had to deal with his four trouble makers. He turned away from John and held up a hand as the boys began a garbled explanation come excuse. He then began to speak himself.

"Boys, I don't care who started it, who's fault it was, or what excuses you've come up with. I know you're frustrated stuck here with something to do, but this happens everytime, and I won't allow it. Each of you will be punished. Scott, Alan, go it to the kitchen and clean up every bit of that mess, then clean up yourselves. I will be in to inspect it in an hour and I expect military precision. Virgil, go and wash out that dye. You will then do a stock take of all the supplies in the medical bay. All the supplies, Virgil. I'll be in to see that in an hour aswell. Gordon, you aren't in need of cleaning yourself but you did start all this so you will go and clean each of the Thunderbirds, thoroughly. I will see you in about four hours" Jeff then let his grumbling sons march out the door. Once more running a hand through his hair, and receiving a handful of quickly drying paint, he turned to his second eldest.

He tiredly sat down in front of the screen. "John, have I told you lately how much I love my nice, quiet son?"

John, who had composed himself and was dutifully refraining from laughing at the caked paint, let out a chuckle. "You only say that because I'm not there to give you grey hairs. But don't worry, I'm sure the boys will be to tired out to do much when they've finished working"

"Mmm" Jeff half heartedly agreed. "Maybe, but still please tell me you're calling because there's a rescue coming up" Jeff felt guilty for hoping for a disaster, but IR wouldn't be able to help anyone if he went mad!

"That actually is why I'm calling" John stated, "I wanted to give you the heads up. There's a hurricane heading for the west coast of America. We're nearly guaranteed a call-out"

"Oh thank god" was all Jeff said before signing of and going in search of a long hot shower.

A/N: So what do you think of this one? I know that this is supposed to be on the island but there are no other characters but to be honest I'm only really able to write about the boys and Jeff so we'll say everyone else was on shore leave, or something. This took longer then I expected to write which is why it's so late. I still can't guarantee another will be up quickly though. I've got a lot on so this will be one of those stories I go back to whenever I can.

Again, if anyone has any ideas for stories, they'd be much appreciated, I haven't got a clue what to write next. I think that's all (or at least enough), see ya. ;-)


	3. Bet on it

This covers different ages but they are on the island the whole time so draw your own conclusions.

Disclaimer: This gets old real fast. (But of course, it's still not mine)

There were not many things that were certain in Jefferson Tracy's life. He ran an international rescue service with his five sons, so every day heralded a new challenge or a new situation, and it was never even a sure thing that they would all see the end of each day. It was a dangerous business. But there was one thing that he could count on, not that it ever did him any good, and that was his boys competing against eachother.

All of the boys had always had competitive natures. It helped them achieve their goals in life, put them ahead of the others in their group, but when they were all together on one relatively small island, their competitive natures became one major head ache for Jeff.

It had been worst when they had all just moved to the island. Unexplored terrain and endless chances for challenges had really fuelled the boys' imaginations. While he knew that they would never intentionally hurt eachother they couldn't always be counted on to think things out before they acted. Thinking of that always made one memory in particular surface in Jeff's mind.

They had only been on the island for a month and a half, and the boys were still finding plenty of things to sate their curiosity. Not always with good end results.

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Jeff had been sitting in the living room reading some reports when his middle child had come running in. Virgil looked like he had just run a marathon and didn't even register his father's presence, but continued running down the corridor...towards the medical bay. Jeff had enough experience to know that something had gone very wrong. He swiftly got up and followed his son, rounding the corner just in time to see that Virgil had indeed entered the medical room.

When he entered after him it was to find his son attempting to pull a hover stretcher out of a cupboard and talk on his mobile at the same time. Who he had called became apparent very quickly.

"Scott" Virgil was saying, "Quick! You have to come with me. Johnny fell out of a tree and I think he might be badly hurt, he said he can't get up" A pause which allowed Jeff to process this information and for the panic to set in, then "I'm in the medi-bay getting a stretcher. The tree is that really big palm we were looking at yesterday, remember, down by the beach? I've got the stretcher now" He had indeed succeeded in prising out the, admittedly heavy, piece of equipment, "Meet me outside, can you tell dad, call him or find him or something, just hurry"

The fact that Scott was hurrying was evident when Jeff could already hear footsteps making there way towards him. A call of "Dad!" announced his first-born's arrival. This call made Virgil spin around, almost dropping the stretcher, a look of equal relief and nervousness crossing his face. But right now Jeff didn't have time to deal with whatever had caused the accident, he needed to get to John.

He forestalled Scott by holding up his hand, grabbed the stretcher from Virgil and turned it on so it would hover along with him, then headed straight out the door. He could hear the two boys jogging along behind him. It was Scott who started questioning Virgil.

"Virg, you didn't leave Johnny on his own, did you?"

Virgil sounded slightly offended that he would suggest that, "Of course I didn't. Alan and Gordon are with him. It's just up here on the left" He added to his father, who was leading.

Upon reaching the scene, Jeff found his second born lying on the ground, his left leg stretched out at a not-so-natural angle, with his two younger brothers dutifully sitting beside him, apparently talking animatedly. Jeff was glad to see John notice them and lift his head slightly, though his face showed he was evidently in pain, at least he was lucid.

Quickly squatting down beside his son, having handed the stretcher to Scott to prepare, he gently took John's hand. "How are you, son?"

John smiled with some difficulty and looked up at his father, "I'm ok, dad, really. It's just my leg-I think it might be broken, but so long as I don't move it it doesn't hurt"

Jeff took another look at the leg, which Scott was also eyeing. The angle looked even worse from here, oh yeah, defiantly broken. "What about your head, son, did you hit it? Lose conciousness?"

He got a firm shack of said heads in return. "No, I didn't hit it, I landed on my feet. And I certainly didn't lose conciousness, not with these two around" He indicated the two youngest. Virgil charged them with keeping me awake when he went to get you and they haven't stopped talking since" He sent Virgil a mock glare but Virgil didn't smile.

He was getting an inflatable splint out of the compartment on the side of the stretcher for Scott to place on John's leg. The splint inflated rather like an armband for swimming and immobilised the limb. Jeff nodded in approval, no matter the situation he could always rely on Scott to take control.

His eldest then sent him a look that said very plainly, 'This is gonna hurt him' Jeff gently squeezed John's hand and received a smile in return. Which became a grimace as Scott quickly and efficiently slide the splint on, moving the leg as little as possible-but still moving it. However, as soon as the splint was inflated John let out a sigh of relief, the immobility taking away some of the pain.

"Right, he's good to go now" came Scott's voice, "How you doing there Johnny?"

"Oh, I'm great, Scott, just what I planned for the day" was John's rather sarcastic reply.

Twenty minutes later saw the whole family in the air. John had been strapped in, and Gordon and Alan continued talking to him as Jeff flew them towards the nearest hospital. Scott was co-piloting but after they levelled off he went to find Virgil, bringing him back to stand in the door way of the cock-pit, the farthest away from everyone you could get on a standard sized eight person jet. Jeff could still hear the conversation from the pilot's seat.

"Virg, what happened? You said John fell out of the tree? But what was he doing up there in the first place?" was the opening question.

The slight pause that followed told Jeff everything he needed to know. Now a veteran at this sort of thing, he didn't even need to turn around to know there was a guilty look plastered all over his middle son's face. The answer that came was tentative and quiet, but not quiet enough.

"I dared him to climb it"

"You did what?!" Scott had an accusatory tone to rival most parents, and it had the excellent effect of making people tell the whole story, which Scott apparently didn't feel Virgil was doing, "Out with it, Virg, what else?"

Virgil took a deep breath, "I dared him to climb it...blind folded"

For a moment even Scott was at a loss for words, though it didn't last long, "Virgil Tracy, of all the fool-hardy things you lot get up to. I don't know which is worse-you for suggesting it, or him for agreeing to it. That palm must be 70 feet high and you dared him to climb it blind folded? That was just asking for trouble. Some one could have got very badly injured, you're lucky Johnny only broke a leg"

"I know" came the very down trodden reply. That broke Scott, as Jeff knew it would. He might do plenty of giving out, but Scott couldn't bear to see any of his little brothers upset. This was no exception.

"Hey, come on Virg" he started, adopting a much gentler voice, "I don't want you beating yourself up about this. Yes, it wasn't advisable, but John shouldn't have agreed to it, God knows he's old enough to know better. And it didn't turn out so bad, John will be ok, you know that, right?"

Virgil must have nodded cause a second later Scott was back in his position as co-pilot, looking satisfied. Jeff couldn't suppress a grin, despite the situation.

A further two hours later, Jeff cradled the hot cup of coffee in both hands. He had been speaking to John's doctor, who had assured him his son would be just fine, and had then gone in search of a much needed caffeine boast, assured that the boys would be ok in John's room. He was now making his way back through the maze of corridors.

He was just approaching the suite where the private rooms were located when he heard shouts coming from an adjacent passage. Going to investigate he found his three youngest, who had somehow managed to acquire a wheelchair each, racing eachother up and down the long corridor, laughing loudly all the way.

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Jeff was recalled to the present by more laughing, coming from the games room. Sighing he decided he had best investigate, just t be sure.

Stopping at the door he found all five boys engrossed in a game of cards. This was surprising to say the least. Adrenaline junkies as all his sons were, cards were not something that could usually amuse them for long...wait, were they poker chips?

A/N: Not as full of jokes as usual, but this just demanded to be written-and I mean demanded-it is now one in the morning and I just wrote this whole thing in one go. Now that it is that long, but it's been ages since I updated so maybe you'll enjoy this.

Please leave a comment and if you have any ideas, I'm fresh out.


	4. Emergency!

**A/N: Okay, so anyone following this story probably hates my guts by now. The only excuse I have is that I had three chapters of this on the go when my laptop crashed. I have yet to get the stuff back off the computer (though I do have a new laptop) so I had to start a lot again. This has been time consuming and being me, I got side tracked by other stories and my final year exams, which were in June. So my sincerest apologies, and I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Nopedy nope.**

Scott- 17

John- 15

Virgil- 13

Gordon- 11

Alan- 5

Jeff sighed. He had been filling out forms for the last three hours and yet the pile beside him refused to get smaller. In fact, he would have sworn it was getting bigger, if that was possible. His eyes were sore and he was developing a head ache. He _hated_ paperwork. He was just considering running across to the coffee shop across from his office block to stretch his legs when the phone rang. Sighing again, envisioning a long boring conversation with someone he didn't much like, Jeff answered, "Jeff Tracy"

"D-daddy?"

Jeff was instantly on the alert. His boys knew not to call him at work unless it was an emergency, and even then it would be one of the older ones, not a distinctly upset sounding Alan, who would be calling.

"Ally? Baby, why are you calling? What's wrong?"

Jeff heard Alan sniff, "Daddy, daddy, he has him, and he said he's gonna hurt him, daddy" another load sniff as Jeff's heart missed a beat, "Daddy, come and get him back, I want him back!" Alan sounded like he was really tearing up as Jeff started reaching for his keys, now truly alarmed.

"Ally, who's got who? What's happened? Where are your brothers?!" All he got as an answer was a muffled 'No!' and the sound of the phone being dropped. "Ally? Alan!" No answer. His youngest had obviously run off somewhere.

Jeff could feel his blood pressure rising as he grabbed his keys and mobile, startling his secretary, but offering no explanation, as he ran out the door. He was in his car in a flash, different scenarios playing in his head, each worse then the one before it. The boys were supposed to be at home, school being out for the summer. Scott was in charge-what had happened?

As he drove, well over the speed limit, Jeff plugged his mobile into his hands free and speed dialled his eldest. With typical efficiency, Scott answered on the second ring.

"Father? What's up?"

"Scott!" Jeff fought to keep his cool, "Scott, where are your brothers?"

Jeff could almost hear Scott's heart rate increase, just as his own had before, "Ally, Gordon and Virgil are at home. John's out with some friends at the park. I just popped out for some supplies. Dad, what's wrong?" The teenager was less skilled at keeping his voice calm, though Jeff was having trouble now that he heard Scott wasn't in the house.

"Scott, I just had a call from Alan, he was crying, saying something about 'He'd taken him' I don't know what happened but I'm on my way home now-" Jeff heard something fall with a clatter in the background and a change in Scott's breathing which would suggest he had just broken into a run.

"I've got my car-I'm on my way" He then hung up.

Jeff hung up too and went back to conjuring up terrible situation in his head, while driving too fast. He had known becoming a bigger and bigger name in business could be dangerous. He had thought about the possibility of kidnap. He had drilled it into his younger sons not to talk to strangers, not to go anywhere without another of their brothers. He had considered personal security for his sons but had decided he was being paranoid, he wasn't making that much money, after all. Now he dearly wished he'd done it.

He arrived at the house with no sign of Scott's car, probably due to the fact that Scott was less likely to break every traffic law going. By now Jeff was convinced something terrible had happened to one or more of the boys. Every time he replayed Alan's phone call in his head, it sounded worse. He almost battered the door down in his attempts to get in, and burst into the hall. He had only taken one step when a small blond blur ran into the corridor. Upon seeing his father, the blur ran straight to him, wrapping his small arms around Jeff's legs. Jeff, for his part, picked Alan up, holding his baby close, sighing in relief that at least one of his younger sons was ok. Alan started talking almost immediately.

"Daddy, you came! He won't give him back, daddy, make him give him back!"Alan's face was puckered up in, not so much fear, as childish indignation and frustration.

Jeff stared straight into his face, trying to get the child to focus, "Ally, tell me who has who. It's really important. Has something happened to one of your brothers?"

Alan looked slightly confused, then shook his little head, "No daddy, not 'dem. Comet"

Jeff did a double take, "Comet?" That was the name of Alan's much loved teddy bear, which had been John's, hence the name.

Alan nodded this time, "Yeah, daddy, Gordy took him hos-hos'age, and he won't give him back 'til I give him the last choc'lat bisc'it. He said he'd drown him in the bath!"

Jeff wasn't sure what do do now. As the full situation became clear to him, the realisation that none of his boys were in danger, his heart rate started to slow down, and his legs felt quite like they could no longer support Alan and himself. This temporary calm was broken as the door once more flew open, groaning slightly on its hinges as Scott threw himself through the opening.

"Dad! Alan!" The seventeen year old placed a protective hand on Alan's back as he glanced at his father while searching the hall. "What's happened?! Is everyone alright? Where are the others?" He was breathing very fast and looked on the verge of all out panic. Jeff absent-mindedly wondered if he had looked the same when he had first arrived.

He placed a placating free hand on his eldest's arm, "It's alright, Scott, it seems we had a false alarm"

"A false alarm?" Scott simply looked confused, but was stopped from asking for more information as Gordon came running into the hall, an old brown teddy bear under his arm. At the sight of his father he stopped up short, "Dad! What are you doing here?"

Jeff's face grew stormier as he remembered exactly _why_ he was here, "I am here, Gordon Tracy, because it seems you don't know when to quit when it comes to teasing your younger brother"

Now Gordon and Scott were both looking confused, though it only took a second for realisation to dawn on Scott's face, as he looked at the toy in the red head's hand, "Oh!" he said softly, "I understand-'He's got him'" Then his face clouded over to match his father's, "Gordon Cooper Tracy, what are you doing with that bear?"

Gordon seemed quite taken aback, but Alan obligingly answered for him, "He took Comet hos'age, Scotty, so I'd give him the last bisc'it"

"The last biscuit?" Scott looked at his father.

Jeff sighed, this was one of those time's he really wished Lucy could help, "It seems Gordon wanted the last chocolate biscuit and felt kidnap was a good way to get it"

Alan nodded, and then smiled at the two adults in his life, "And you said to press one and the green button in a real emerg'ncy, and so I did-I did good, didn't I daddy?"

'Daddy' could feel another head ache coming on. "Ally, baby, that's not the kind of emergency I was talking about, but we'll discuss it tonight-and you and I" he gave Gordon a pointed stare, "will be having a long talk to, won't we young man? Now give your brother back his bear this instant" He put Alan down and let him go over to his sheepish looking brother. At least Gordon understood that it was not a good idea to have put himself in the position where his father got called home from the office.

Jeff turned back to Scott, who had a mixture of relief and disbelief on his face, he spoke to his father, "Chocolate biscuits, this was all over chocolate biscuits. And you know that's what I went to the store to get, 'cause we were out and those two both wanted one"

Jeff just shook his head, "I know, son, I'm not sure whether to be glad Alan took in what we told him about emergencies or annoyed that he thought this was one"

"He's only five, dad, he's not really to blame" Scott was always quick to defend the little boy who had been his charge so often.

"I know" admitted Jeff, "But I think we'll have to have a talk about when to use the emergency line tonight" he drew a hand over his face, "Look, son, I need to get back to the office. Now that I know no ones been kidnapped. Do you know where Virgil is?"

Scott nodded, "He'll be upstairs, with his head phones on, probably why he didn't hear the commotion"

"Right, well then I have to go"

Scott suddenly looked a little sheepish himself, "Ah, dad, I'll just have to move my car then-I, ah, parked in a hurry"

Jeff took a look of the still open door and laughed at the sight of Scott's car, partially on the kerb, partially on the lawn, but blocking Jeff's car in the drive. Scott must have been really worried to have left his car in that state.

It only took a few seconds to get Scott's car in the right position, along side the house and for Jeff to be once more taking his leave of the house. He was just closing the door when he heard Alan's voice pipe up, "Did you bring the bisc'its, Scotty?" He didn't know whether to laugh or bang his head off the door post.

**A/N: I know-not as good as the others, but I'm trying to get back into it-and I will make the biggest effort to update regularly. If there is anyone left out there to review, then you absolutely rock. Until next time, adieu. **


	5. Everybody do their share

**A/N: Well, I'm back with another-though I think maybe I've lost the ability to write these, or maybe I'm just a paranoid over achiever-yeah I wish. Anyway, this is a little fic I came up with, surprise surprise, while doing my own chores. Hope you enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: If I own the Thunderbirds, then the sea is pink. **

Scott- 22

John- 20

Virgil-18

Gordon- 15

Alan- 14

Jeff had always insisted that, no matter how much money he made, his boys would have a normal childhood-even if some of them weren't children any more. This idea, particularly the part that involved not hiring help and having the boys do chores, was looking more and more like a really bad idea, as Jeff sat in the ER of the County General, awaiting information on the injured members of his family.

It had started out as a very promising morning, thought Jeff, as John shifted slightly in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside him. It had been beautifully sunny and warm, and the father of five had had the unusual pleasure of having all of his sons at home. The summer holidays had Alan, Gordon and Virgil home from school, the latter permanently, while John was back from college. Scott had two weeks off basic training, and had come home for some relaxation. Loath though he was to leave the boys on one of the now rare occasions they were all together, Jeff had a board meeting and had to leave for a few hours. Before he left he sought out the whole family, who were eating breakfast at the kitchen table.

"Boys" he started, trying to drag their attention away from the large spread of food in front of them. The amount of food they could work through never ceased to amaze their father. Well, that's what he got for having five, he supposed, "I'm heading off to this meeting now. It shouldn't take more then a few hours, so I'll be home by lunch, okay?" he received nods and a few non-committal grunts. It was early, "Right, well, while I'm gone I want a few jobs doing 'round the house" More groans then grunts this time, and only from the younger half, "That's enough. Everyone does there share. Alan" he looked at his youngest, "The grass needs cutting in the backyard. Gordon, the hedges all need a quick clipping. Virgil, you're on lunch duty. John, you see to the laundry, will you" His second eldest was the only one with the slightest idea how to use the washing machine, as Jeff had found after several ruined loads from various other sons, "And Scott" he turned to his eldest, the only one really awake, "You're in charge" There were sounds of complaint, again from the younger ones, but Jeff kept talking, "_And_, I want you to give the corridors, kitchen and living room a once over with the hoover. Everyone got that?" More noise, which Jeff took for consent, before heading out the door and towards the office.

Three hours later saw Jeff heading back to the house. The meeting had gone very well, finishing early and now he was getting home in plenty of time for lunch with the boys. He was in a good mood as he parked his car in the drive. Then he noticed that the hedges outside the house looked the same as they had before he'd left. Sighing, he climbed out of the car, wondering if Gordon had neglected the chore altogether or was simply caught due to Jeff's early arrival. However, when he opened the door, he was greeted with some more unwelcome sights. The floor beneath him had most definitely not been hoovered, though he could see the hoover abandoned half way up the stairs. Now he was a little worried. Gordon was one thing, but Jeff didn't think he had ever seen Scott fail to complete a job. And as he passed the laundry room, he could see clothes left on the floor, some half in and half out of the machine. Again, not like John. Now Jeff was starting to feel a little alarmed. What had happened to everyone?

That was when he heard his eldest's voice, drifting in through the open back door, "Alan, this is exactly why I told you to stop messing-it's a ride-on-mower, not a rally car-hold still Gordon, I'm trying to stop the bleeding. Virgil, don't you think you'd better put that under some cold water?"

Jeff was already heading for the backyard when Virgil answered, "Yeah, I will do in a minute. That's going to need stitches, by the way"

Scott again, "Damn, really? Dad's gonna freak" At this point 'dad' emerged from the house to find four of his boys, three with their backs to him, as they examined the forth-a sitting, and bloody, Gordon. Taking a second to assess the situation, Jeff noted that the blood on Gordon's shirt was coming from a nasty looking cut, running from just above his left temple to under his hair line. Scott was kneeling in front of his younger brother, holding a tinged red dish cloth and looking closely at the cut. Alan, looking guilty, and Virgil, who was holding his right hand in a peculiar position, were leaning over Scott's shoulder. Gordon, the only one facing him, was the first to notice Jeff's presence.

"Well, at least you won't have to call him, Scotty, he just walked in" he dead panned.

Scott turned quickly, standing up to face his father, "Dad-we've had a little accident"

Jeff almost smiled, "So I can see. Are you okay, son?" he asked the red head.

Gordon gave a little wave, "I'm fine dad, really. But Dr. Virg here seems to think I need stitches. Course he might be confusing me with himself"

Virgil gave him a withering look as his father turned concerned eyes on him, "It's just a small burn, dad, some cold water and burn spray and I'll be fine. And you don't treat burns with stitches, Gord-"

Virgil was cut off as a load thump sounded from inside the house. Scott was the first to move, hurrying through the back door calling "John?" Jeff followed closely and arrived just to late to help John off the floor, which Scott was doing, where he'd landed at the bottom of the stairs, a hoover along side him.

"Damn it, bro" he was saying as he regained his footing, wincing slightly and gently testing his ankle, "Why'd you leave that thing there?-oh, hey dad" John had also noticed their father, "Your home early-probably just as well, actually. Here's the first aid box, Scott" John held out the small white box to his brother, who just shook his head.

"There's no point-Virg says Gordon needs stitches, and I want Virgil to have his hand looked at anyway, so I guess we're heading to the ER" Scott looked at his father, who nodded.

It took a short length of time to get everyone in the people carrier, during which Jeff discovered that Alan had also done something to himself, something along the lines of broken fingers. They all arrived in the ER, the injured where shown to rooms and Jeff was left with a pile of paperwork, which Scott was helping him fill out. John was sitting quietly, sometimes absently rubbing his ankle. He had refused to have it looked at, assuring everyone that he had simply twisted it a little and it would be fine in the morning.

Jeff sighed as he filled in the last line of the last form. He hated paperwork on a good day, but when it related to injured sons.... He glanced at Scott, saw that the young man was also finished and decided now would be a good time for an interrogation. Turning to face his eldest, he cleared his throat to gain Scott's attention and then began, "So, son, do I want to know how this happened?"

The twenty two year old looked like he would have loved to have said no and saved himself explaining, but he didn't, "Well, it was kinda a series of unfortunate events, leading to over all injury, you know?"

Jeff just shook his head and looked expectantly, knowing his son would give it up.

"Well, you see, Gordon was clipping the back hedges, Virgil was cooking something in the kitchen, I was hoovering the stairs and John was doing the laundry. Alan was messing around on the mower, taking tight turns and stuff. And he must have almost hit Gordon, or something, 'cause I heard Gordon yell and when I got outside his head was pumping blood. He said he hit himself with shears. I think Alan kinda swerved to avoid him, and that's how he hurt his fingers-I didn't realise he was hurt 'til you said. Virg and John heard the noise too, and Virg spilled some boiling water on his hand, when he was coming outside. I was just checking Gordon out when you arrived, and you saw the rest" he finished up and watched his father shake his head in a resigned sort of way.

"What will I do with you boys?" he rubbed his hand over his face, "I leave you with some chores for three hours, and come back to find half of you hospital worthy"

"Mr. Tracy?" A youngish, scrub clad doctor stood at the entrance to the waiting area, looking at the three men. Jeff stood and shook hands with the doctor while the boys stood eagerly behind him.

"Are they okay?" John was the first to speak.

The doctor, Mark Walters, smiled and nodded, "I treated all three of your sons" he spoke to Jeff, checking his notes, "Virgil had a minor scald on his right hand. It's been dressed and he'll have to keep it clean and dry for a few days, but I don't anticipate any scarring. Gordon had a scalp laceration, which has been cleaned and which needed four stitches. I've prescribed some painkillers and he'll need to come back in two weeks or so to have them removed. Alan has broken the index finger on his left hand. I've taped it and also prescribed him painkillers. Here are the prescriptions" he handed over some pieces of paper, "You can get those in the pharmacy. Other then that I'm happy to release your sons. I'll show you to where their resting and have a nurse bring you the discharge papers"

Great, more forms, Jeff absently thought as he was led into a small side room where his three youngests were waiting. Virgil's right hand was sporting a clean white bandage, as was Alan's left. Gordon had a square of gauze covering most of the upper left side of his face. Alan was looking slightly apprehensive at his father's arrival. But he needn't have worried, as Jeff had never had the heart to give out to his boys when they were hurt-which happened a little too often.

He simply sighed for the umpteenth time and gestured to his sons, "Come on boys, we're heading home"

A short stop at the nurses desk to fill out the forms, and a slightly longer car ride and everyone trudged into the house. The younger three went straight to there rooms, unwilling to admit, but unable to ignore, their fatigue at the days events. John was forcefully confined to the couch, with his ankle up, by Scott, who then went to see about some dinner for everyone. Jeff headed into his office and dialled a number from the phone book.

"Hello, SparkleCleanHouses here, Jemma speaking. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like to hire a part time cleaner".........

**So? Stupid? Good? Let me know!!**


	6. Playing the social game

**A/N: Heehee, don't even ask where this one came from. From one of the dark, scary corners of my imagination, no doubt. But anyway, if it raises a smile in anyone it's worth it.**

**Disclaimer-Still trying to buy them, but it ain't easy for a broke student. **

Scott- 21

John- 19

Virgil- 17

Gordon- 14

Alan- 13

Jeff tried valiantly to hide a yawn as he moved through the crowd. He was at the kind of charity event he usually avoided-the kind not so much about the charity as the gloating of society's richest, mostly about what tiny fraction of their wealth they had given away. Jeff seriously doubted anyone in this room had given a big enough donation to cover the cost of the champagne-let alone the meal or the musicians. Of course, it was Jeff himself who was funding the trimmings. That was the only reason he was here tonight. The charity that they were raising money for was the Tracy Charitable Fund which Jeff had set up in memory of his wife, Lucy. He couldn't very well fail to be present at his own charity function and so here he was, rubbing shoulders with the elite, dragging his boys with him, as it was a children's charity.

Come to think of it, Jeff suddenly realised he had not seen the boys in some time. They had arrived about two hours ago, Scott having driven them, just in time for the meal. They had sat with their father, graciously accepting the attention they garnered by being the sons of Jefferson Tracy. Jeff was always especially proud of his boys at events like this. They could play the social game better than he could himself. Even at a young age they all had had a cutting wit and a good sense of when people were patronising them. But they never lost their tempers and usually ended up banding together to 'pay back' whoever had annoyed one of them. Gordon was particularly good at coming up with some way of making a fool of someone without them noticing, and Alan had been known to use his position as cute youngest to great effect.

Jeff usually let them away with it, as he did not want to attend these things any more then the boys did, but there had been times when he had had to rein them in. A particularly vivid memory, that could still make Jeff wince, involved a seven year old Gordon, the wife of a _very_ important oil company owner, and a snake that Jeff still had no idea where his son had gotten on such short notice. But to return to the point, Jeff had not seen any of his sons for at least half an hour-a rather dangerous amount of time to anyone who knew them well. He knew they would not have snuck out as he still had to make a speech about why they were all there and the boys wouldn't leave until that was over.

Standing up a little taller and looking over the heads of the crowd, Jeff quickly identified his eldest's slightly messy brown hair. At just six feet two, Scott was easy to pick out in a crowd, and if there was anyone who would know where the others were it would be the 'over-protective oldest' However, heading over to where his son was standing, not too far from the bar, Jeff could hear Scott talking to a woman, and soon realised that the boy probably wouldn't notice the sky falling on him right now. Women were the one thing that could get Scott to forget his little brothers-for a few minutes at least.

Silently approaching from behind, Jeff's suspicions were confirmed as he saw Scott leaning down slightly to listen to something an attractive blond was saying. Unless Jeff was very mistaken, the young woman, who was wearing an altogether far too short red dress, was none other then the only daughter and sole heir of Marcus Dwain. Dwain was involved in the kind of weapons trade that was so illegal it never got stopped and was undoubtedly the richest man in the room. Jeff didn't like Dwain in the slightest but it didn't do to shun that kind of man. But he really wished Scott would stay away from his daughter, of whom Marcus was famously protective. The girl's body guard eyed the room from just behind the conversing pair.

Giving the boy up as a bad job (if Jeff tried to drag him away, Scott would only dig his heels in) the father decided the second eldest was the best bet. John was quiet and thoughtful, not into big events such as this, and was probably hiding in some corner, reading a book and keeping an eye on everything going on.

A few minutes of searching did indeed dig up his second son, as expected, sitting in a corner, writing furiously in a small notebook. John jumped slightly when his father's shadow came over him.

"Oh, dad, it's you"

"And who else would it be?" asked Jeff, trying to surreptitiously see what was on the notebook. The ever observant John noticed where he was looking straight away.

"I'm just writing out some notes on satellite positioning angles" the young man held up the page to show his father, as a hand slapped Jeff on the back. Turning, the billionaire found himself looking at, if he remembered correctly, Walter Nomes. Nomes owned a huge, private, communications company. He had two satellites in space, and numerous other specialised equipment at his finger tips. The man was smiling at Jeff, but spoke in a way that oozed spoilt and rich.

"Tracy! How are you, eh?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer, "Your boy here is just giving me some tips on what I can do to improve my satellite range. Amazing boy, really Tracy, what is he, eighteen?"

"Nineteen" Jeff corrected automatically, staring incredulously at John, who was studiously ignoring him.

Nomes beamed again, "Yes, exactly. Really knows his stuff - don't suppose you'd let me have him, eh? I'd take him straight out of college-hell, I'd take him right now, doesn't look like there's anything left to teach him"

John was also smiling, but Jeff was putting his foot down. He faked a half laugh, "Oh, I don't think so, Walter. John will be finishing college, and then he's got his own ambitions, haven't you son?" This last was slightly forceful.

John's smile faltered a little, "Yes, sir, I do"

Nomes didn't look particularly put out, "Oh well, keeping 'em all close to you, eh Tracy? Can't blame you. Now, what have you got for me?"

John held out the piece of paper, covered in equations and calculations, "If you give this to one of your engineers, they should understand it and be able to make the necessary changes, sir"

Nomes took the paper, popping it into his breast pocket, while pulling out a cheque book, "Perfect-now, what do I owe you?"

Jeff, who was being ignored, stepped in again, slightly alarmed, "Oh no. There'll be no money, thanks Walter, John won't be taking it"

Nomes face fell a little, "Oh now, come on Tracy-I pay fairly, I can't use this stuff for nothing. Besides, young strapping lad like him, going off to college, he can use it for a car, or something. Help you with the ladies, eh?" This was accompanied by a wink in John's direction.

But the father was having none of it, "No thank you, Walter, John's got everything he needs. If you really want to part with some cash, you can donate it to the charity-right John?" Jeff's teeth were gritted as his son looked disappointed.

"Yeah, of course" John sighed, "It's not like I need the money, give it to the charity"

Jeff smiled, though it was pretty forced and probably looked more like a grimace, "Exactly. Now, I'm looking for your younger brothers-have you seen them?"

John pointed to the area by the food buffet. "You'll find Virgil and Alan over there. Don't know where Gordon is"

"Thank you-and don't go wandering off, it's nearly time for my speech, okay?"

John nodded and Jeff turned to the area John had pointed out, completely missing the wink that passed from Nomes to John, accompanied by a small, folded piece of paper.

It took longer to find Virgil, as the seventeen your old was proving to be quite short, relative to his brothers, and didn't stand a head above the crowd. But some weaving around soon had Jeff approaching his son from behind, only to find him talking to three people. Jeff did not recognise any of them, and couldn't figure out what Virgil would be discussing. Stopping right behind him, the billionaire listened in, Virgil having totally failed to notice his arrival. The teenager was gesturing towards the buffet, where, Jeff could now see, Alan was standing. Virgil seemed to be explaining something.

"Yes" he nodded at his little audience, "We just found out two weeks ago. The professors said he has the highest IQ they've ever seen. They reckon he's going to do something amazing-probably cure cancer, or some such. It wasn't a real shock to us of course, we've always known he was special. You just have to watch him" All four turned to watch the 'genius', who was currently trying to fit five cocktail sausages into his mouth. Virgil coughed slightly, possibly to cover a laugh, "He eats loads, of course, because of his brain developing so fast" The three were all nodding, obviously falling hook, line and sink'er for the story, as Jeff came around to the front of the little group. Virgil gave him a broad smile. "Oh, hey dad"

"Mr. Tracy" the only woman in the group spoke, "You must be so proud. I'm sure all your sons are brilliant but to have one declared such a prodigy. Your other son here was just telling us about it"

Jeff just nodded, feeling no need to explain the truth, "Ehm, yes, very proud, of course. If you don't mind, I need to talk to my son for a minute" The group moved on and Jeff raised an eyebrow at the teenager.

Virgil shrugged, "Gordon bet me I couldn't play a practical joke on anyone here. So I told those three that we'd just found out Alan had an IQ of 185. Wasn't easy either, with Sprout acting like he couldn't add 1, 8 and 5" Here the boy took a look around and frowned, "And Gordon's not even here! Where's the little nuisance got to?"

"Virgil! Don't talk about your brother like that. And how many times do I have to tell you boys about betting with eachother-it never ends well. And I want you to stay here with Alan. I've got to do my speech, round up the rest of them and then we can leave, ok?"

Virgil was just nodding when a voice came from the podium, at the end of the room. The voice sounded horribly familiar to Jeff.

"Ladies and gentlemen" started Gordon, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Gordon Tracy and I'm going to talk to you about the great cause for which we are all here tonight" The red head gave a stunning smile, totally at ease in the spot light, "You're probably wondering why my father isn't up here. Well, this a children's charity, so he felt it would be better to hear from one of his own children" Jeff couldn't remember that conversation, "So here I am. And you know, this really is the best of causes-"

Jeff could only stand, shocked, as Gordon progressed through the first five minutes of his speech-a perfectly learned off copy of the speech Jeff himself had notes for in his pocket. Word for word, Gordon was describing the work done by the charity, the people it helped and the reasons for it's existence. He had all the hand gestures, little laughs and side comments down perfectly. Jeff found himself wondering why, if Gordon could memorise this speech with such apparent ease, he was getting in trouble in school for not learning work. The father was, however, then distracted as Gordon started speaking for himself.

"And I would personally like to thank you for your contributions tonight. As would my brothers. I would ask them up here but they're busy, ahem, _net-working_" Gordon gave a little cough that was obviously hiding a laugh. No doubt the trickster knew what everyone of his brothers was at, "Anyway, that's all folks! I do hope you enjoy the night, the food, the musicians, the champagne. And don't forget to spare a thought for those starving children we're helping" Jeff had to smile at that. Evidently Gordon shared his father's view on the extravagance of the evening. The red head then gave a short bow and exited to applause. Jeff had barely recovered himself when his rouge son appeared beside him.

"Gordon" Jeff tried to inject a severe tone into his voice, "What do you think you were doing? What possessed you to do my speech? And where how did you learn it anyway?"

Gordon put on his innocent face, a credit to his acting skills, "I did it for you, dad. I know you hate speeches, so I just took a quick a look at your notes this morning, and headed up there. You should be grateful"

"Grateful-" Jeff just shock his head. He was tired, and now, with John having just arrived, he was only missing one son. They would be home soon. Wait-what was that sticking out of John's pocket? That piece of paper- "John! Is that what I think it is?" He gestured to his son's breast pocket.

John looked down, quickly sticking the top of the cheque further into the folds of fabric. He didn't have a chance to answer, or lie, however, as at that moment Scott appeared. Jeff gave a grateful sigh. Reinforcements were exactly what he needed.

And Scott wasted no time, "Gordon Cooper Tracy-what was that about? You had no right to go up there-you're in big trouble. And don't think I don't know what you two were up to aswell!" Here he rounded on Virgil and John, making everyone wonder exactly how many sets of eyes the good Lord had graced the eldest's Tracy son with. He finished with his patented '_we're not done here_' look, adding, "You are all in big trouble when we get home" He then turned to his father, "Speaking of which, father, don't you think we should be moving on now, hmm? It's getting kinda late, let's go" This was said rather fast and accompanied by an uncharacteristic glance over his shoulder.

Jeff's eyes narrowed, smelling a rat, "_Scott. _Any particular reason you want to leave so quickly?"

Scott gave another shifty glance, before smiling disarmingly at his father, "Well, you know, it is getting late, and it's been a long day and _ImayhavedonesomethingwithAlexthatIregretnow_"

Jeff blinked, as did the rest of his sons, "Pardon Scott, didn't quite catch that"

Scott failed to meet his father's eye, sighing, "I said I may have done something with Alex which I now regret"

A look of comprehension crossed John's face, "As in Alex Dwain, with the arms dealer father?"

Scott nodded, still not meeting anyone's eye, but steering them towards the door, "Yes that Alex" he answered tersely, "And I'd move if I was you or you might want to reconsider the decision not to purchase private security for us dad"

Jeff decided he didn't even want to know, and in a rare show of indifference, let his eldest's push him out the hall doors, heading towards the car park.

**A/N: So, any comments, suggestions, telling offs. I don't mind, just throw it all my way! Pretty please?! By the way, the reason Jeff was so opposed to John taking the money for his work was that in the world of business it means something to take money for work, and Jeff didn't want his teenage son to be involved in anything.**


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